A study of the enquiry workload in a regional drug information centre

In a study of the workload in a regional drug information centre, 65% of enquiries received were classed as urgent and required an answer on the day of receipt. The number varied considerably from day to day but no discernible pattern of either urgent or non-urgent enquiries was found. Manpower requirements are discussed on the basis of workload on the busiest days for urgent enquiries. It is calculated that with an annual workload of 1,106 enquiries the mean utilization of a full-time pharmacist on this work is 64% rising to 93% on the busiest days.